Marker planned to remember Gorham mill

Sunday

Oct 20, 2013 at 7:43 PMOct 20, 2013 at 7:43 PM

By Alex Puricelli Messenger Post

GORHAM — All throughout New York are signs like this: a blue plaque on a signpost with a yellow border and yellow writing. They are Pomeroy Foundation Historical Markers, and they tell a tale of yesteryear.

There will be one more marker added to the mix at 11 a.m. Wednesday, Oct. 23. This one will be in the hamlet of Gorham to "remind people of the thriving industrial landscape that was once in this area," said Gorham Town Historian George Henry.

The marker will be placed on Route 245 between the bridge over Flint Creek and Proctor Roofing in Gorham. It will mark the site of the former Water Power Grist Mill, which was built by Levi Benton Jr. and functioned in the area from 1809 to 1941 when an engine fire burned it down.

A grist mill — which grinds grain into a variety of food products, including flour and cornmeal — was important for a community as an economic and sustainable resource. It was an "economic and industrial power in the area," said Henry. "It was a key player."

Henry is responsible for getting recognition from the Pomeroy Foundation for the Grist Mill. It took him about six months to research the mill and another four months of reaching out to the Pomeroy Foundation, he said. The Pomeroy Foundation awards a limited amount of markers per year.

While in operation, the mill was powered by Flint Creek, which made it one of 14 mills on the creek between the towns of Gorham and Seneca, according to Henry's research.

"The creek is why we're here, it afforded a means to power [the mill]," said Gorham Town Supervisor Fred Lightfoote. Having the mill in town, he said, "allowed for other businesses to spring up around it. That's what economic development is all about."

Lightfoote will be speaking at the marker dedication. Afterward, free refreshments will be offered to the public by the Gorham Historical Society at the museum on Route 245.

Lightfoote added that now is a good time to reflect on history.

"Every once in a while we need a moment to pause," he said, in order to reflect on the past, present and future. "We need to celebrate what we have, and how we got to this point, with others in our community."